In need of awesome flute solos.
June 8, 2013 11:04 AM   Subscribe

What are some poppy/jazzy/hard-rocky songs that feature a great flute solo?

I just listened to Who Is It by Michael Jackson. It has an awesome flute solo.

What are some other poppy/jazzy/hard-rocky songs that have an awesome flute solo?

I can't think of many other examples off of the top of my head, but one other that comes to mind is Spain by Chick Corea, which features the flute pretty much throughout. I guess I'm looking for more pop or rock music though, and not straight-up jazz.
posted by 3FLryan to Media & Arts (23 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Jethro Tull has a lot of flute in his/their? songs. Genre is essentially classic rock.

(When I started playing flute in fourth grade, that was my dad's sole frame of reference for flute players, and wanted me to become the Jethro Tull of my day.)
posted by hydra77 at 11:11 AM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


Jethro Tull's "Living in the Past"
California Dreamin
orchestrated version The Moody Blues 'Nights In White Satin'
Genesis. "Stagnation", "Supper's ready",
Aqualung-- Cross Eyed Mary
Chicago- "Colour My World"
Goin’ Up the Country -- Canned Heat
"Walkin in Rhythm"- The Blackbirds
Can't You See" -- Marshall Tucker Band
posted by Ideefixe at 11:13 AM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


Al Kooper's Flute Thing.

Blues Project version
posted by Right On Red at 11:15 AM on June 8, 2013




Beastie Boys - Flute Loop
posted by ceribus peribus at 11:17 AM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


Men at Work, "Land Down Under."
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:27 AM on June 8, 2013


Poppy/Jazzy ? A bit short but there's the Guess Who - Undun
posted by canoehead at 11:34 AM on June 8, 2013




Bonobo - Pick Up
posted by spatula at 11:52 AM on June 8, 2013


Hell, you need to be looking at Jethro Tull for sure. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Focus yet.

Hocus Pocus (Mad flute break at 3:00)

House of the King
posted by Decani at 11:53 AM on June 8, 2013


Baiao Atemporal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-W8sffyALw

Flute is more prominent on the studio version.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 12:00 PM on June 8, 2013


Saint Germain: So Flute and Busdriver: Imaginary Places are both built around flute (jazzy in the first case, Bach in the second).
posted by irrelephant at 12:02 PM on June 8, 2013


Traffic also used to use the flute a lot. Check out some of their stuff.
posted by Decani at 12:04 PM on June 8, 2013


Duran Duran has a flute or closely related instrument in some of their songs (most immediately to my mind The Chauffeur--NSFW video--where the solo is at the end.).
posted by immlass at 12:27 PM on June 8, 2013


Florian Schneider played the flute on Kraftwerk's early albums: see Tanzmusik, and Ruckzuck, for example.
posted by misteraitch at 12:49 PM on June 8, 2013


Harlem River Drive, by Bobbi Humphrey.
posted by priested at 2:21 PM on June 8, 2013


Also Orange Skies and She Comes in Colors, by Love.
posted by misteraitch at 2:57 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


On the jazz side, but "Curried Soul," the theme from the CBC's "As It Happens."
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:57 PM on June 8, 2013


MC 900 Ft Jesus - But If You Go
posted by ctmf at 6:41 PM on June 8, 2013 [1 favorite]


There's a whoopass flute riff on the Life Aquatic soundtrack. It's when they're on the Ping Islands (Little Ping?).
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 7:40 PM on June 8, 2013


A lot of mainstream jazz fans would tell you that Hubert Laws is more of a pop flautist than a jazz man, but I guess that depends on where you draw the lines between pop/smooth jazz, etc. Try his interpretation of Pavane (1971), Undecided (from Romeo and Juliet 1976), his Tryin' to the Get the Feelin' from about 1973, or his version of Where Is The Love, to see if he fits your requirements.

If Laws seems promising, you might also check out Jean-Pierre Rampal's recordings of pop tunes or his recordings with Ravi Shankar on sitar, like Sunrise, and perhaps, Herbie Mann's 1969 Memphis Underground, etc., for flute with funk/soul underpinnings.
posted by paulsc at 8:24 PM on June 8, 2013


Audience - I Put A Spell On You
posted by Brody's chum at 11:56 AM on June 9, 2013


How about rap? Jimmy Z featuring Dr. Dre.
posted by TG_Plackenfatz at 12:03 AM on June 10, 2013


« Older I want to become a primary teacher even though...   |   Can this stuff be a grenadine substitute? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.


Tags

Share